The China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF) Wildlife Rescue Team would like to sincerely thank the Dandong Municipal Public Security Bureau Port and Shipping Branch and Liaoning Dandong Port Group, thank Mr. Wang Jianlong, Mr. Liu Peng, Mr. Zhang Junfeng and Ms. Zou Xiaoyan for their care and help for "Little Great".

On July 13, the Steller Sea Lion "Little Great", which had appeared on the coast of Tangshan, appeared again in Dandong Donggang City, Liaoning Province. This is the first Steller Sea Lion to appear in China's waters in 25 years.

The reason why Little Great stayed away from the traditional habitat of Hokkaido and other Steller Sea lions in Japan is unclear. But its rescue action is still urgent and affects everyone's heart.

Dr. Sara Platto, the leader and chief expert of the CBCGDF Wildlife Rescue Team, emphasized that even if rescue action is determined, Little Great must be observed for 24 hours to determine its status.

24 hours of observation means a sleepless night. However, the rescue staff of the Dandong Municipal Public Security Bureau Port and Shipping Branch and the Liaoning Dandong Port Group have been busy looking after Little Great in the care and responsibility of Little Great. And for 24 consecutive hours, first-hand news was sent from the front to the rescue team of the CBCGDF. Everyone worked together to rescue Little Great. The scenes were also moving and giving people strength.

The following is a replay of the observation process from the afternoon of July 13 to the early morning of July 14:

At 16:30 on July 13, Little Great sat up.

At 16:33, it lay down and rested.

At 17:32, it got up and moved, then got down to rest.

At 18:25, it got up, raised its succulent round head, and then fell down to rest.

At 19:03, it got up and cried, then fell down again.

At 20:06, Little Great still remained where he had appeared in the afternoon, moving his chubby body from time to time, without much change.

At 20:08, the frontier political commissar led the staff to use jellyfish to mix with the stomach medicine and placed it next to its mouth.

At 22:29, its head leaned back and rubbed its eyes.

At 22:35, its round head and limbs were reversed, and fell down again.

At 23:48, Little Great remained in place, only occasionally moving its head or tail. Not eating. Little Great resisted human’s approach.

At 5 a.m. on July 14, Little Great had been lying on its original place, occasionally moving its chubby body.

At 5:38 in the morning, it raised its head.

At 6 o'clock in the morning, it has been resting on its stomach.

At 6:14 in the morning, Little Great stayed in the same place and did not return to the sea. During this period, it ate a fish and was in a slightly better state than the day before.

At 8:05 am, it went into the water.

At 8:25 am, it landed again.

At 8:55 am, it sat on the shore resting, with its head raised.

Based on these observations, Dr. Zhou Jinfeng, the Secretary-General of China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF) estimates that Little Great may return to the sea on July 14, which is today. If there are not many people on the shore, it might come back again. On July 14th and 15th, Little Great may leave Dandong, Liaoning, follow North Korea and South Korea, return to the Pacific Ocean, and embark on a return journey to the north.

Rescue personnel have installed monitoring on site and have been watching Little Great 24 hours a day. The CBCGDF rescue team has also arranged to get in touch with Korean conservation organizations to jointly carry out cross-border protection of Little Great.

Dr. Zhou said: "I hope that today is the last stop of the Steller Sea Lion Little Great’s trip to China's Bohai Sea. It can extend to North Korea and South Korea and spend another two weeks returning to the Pacific Ocean and heading back home."

Stay tuned for more following up reports.

(Photo credit: CBCGDF)

By / Maggie

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